It is well known to provide ballast regulating machines to regulate the distribution and shaping of ballast on a railroad track bed. Typically, the machines include plows to distribute the ballast between two track rails which are fastened to cross ties as the machine moves along the tracks. Tie plows which distribute the ballast on the field side (ends of the cross ties which extend outside and away from the tracks) are also known. Such tie plows may consist of a rigidly mounted blade assembly having a blade which is lowered to a position atop the ends of the cross ties and which engages the upper surfaces of the cross ties as the machine moves along the track. It can be readily seen that if the upper surfaces of the cross ties are not substantially coplanar or if the ties have an upwardly projecting element on its upper surface, the blade is subjected to breaking or bending in response to it striking the uneven surface. Such bending or breaking of the blades require considerable "down time" in order to repair and/or replace damaged blades. Such a replacement is costly both from a standpoint of blade cost plus the cost of the "down time."
Some U.S. patents relating to apparatus for distributing ballast across a railroad bed are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,184, issued Oct. 12, 1971, to Franz Plasser et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,325, issued Feb. 10, 1981, to Josef Theurer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,351, issued May 12, 1981, to Emmett W. Cox; U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,969, issued Jan. 17, 1989, to Rolando Naggar; U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,887, issued Jun. 6, 1989, to Josef Theurer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,133, issued Oct. 1, 1991, to Pierre Mohr; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,608, issued Mar. 24, 1992, to Josef Theurer.
Apparatus of the present invention includes a pair of oppositely disposed spring-loaded tie plow assemblies, each assembly being disposed for mounting on opposite sides of a ballast shoulder cleaner which is movable along a railroad track. Each assembly includes a support plate mounted to a positioning mechanism which raises and lowers the assembly. A pair of spring-loaded blades depend from the bottom of the support plate and are arranged in vertically staggered relation (one is longer than the other). The blades plow the ballast off the top of the cross ties, and the spring loading allows them to flex clear of any obstruction they may hit. The blades are mounted at an angle to the rails so that they plow the ballast away from the rail. Attached to the spring-loaded tie plow frame and directly behind the second blade is a double row of sweeper elements to drag the loose rock off the ties.
A ballast broom mechanism follows the tie plow to further aid in "dressing" the ballast bed. The ballast broom mechanism cleans any remaining ballast from the top of the ties and from around the field side of the rail area. The ballast broom mechanism includes a first broom assembly which is mounted on a horizontal shaft and rotatable to sweep the top of the ties outside the rail. The "horizontally mounted" broom assembly utilizes a spiral reel having the sweeping elements attached thereto for sweeping the ballast to the outside of the track shoulder. The second broom assembly is mounted to a vertical shaft. This "vertical shaft broom assembly" sweeps along the outside of the rail base, cleaning the rail base and the tie plate area. As this vertical shaft rotates, it discharges some of its rocks forward into the first broom assembly (horizontal shaft broom assembly), which sweeps them to the outside. Other rocks are carried directly to the track shoulder by the vertical broom assembly.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a ballast "dressing" apparatus which distributes and dresses ballast on a railroad track bed on the outside of the rails.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a ballast dressing apparatus with tie plow means for directing the ballast away from the outside of the rails, such tie plow means including blades which are capable of being flexed to prevent damage thereto in response to striking an obstruction on the ballast bed or ties.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a ballast dressing device with further ballast dressing means in the form of rotating broom means which sweeps remaining ballast off the upper surfaces of the ties and also from beneath the upper flanged wheel engaging surface of the rails.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such rotating broom means with a pair of orthogonally rotating assemblies which cooperate to sweep ballast from the top of the ends of the cross ties.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from an understanding of the following drawings and description.